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Bowe Bergdahl thanks Obama for 'saving his life'; still won't speak to parents

Bowe Bergdahl

This file image provided by IntelCenter on Wednesday Dec. 8, 2010 shows a frame grab from a video released by the Taliban containing footage of a man believed to be Bowe Bergdahl, left.
(IntelCenter via The Associated Press)

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has finally broken his silence, using his first statement since being released from the Taliban to thank President Barack Obama for his support.

"Sergeant Bergdahl is deeply grateful to President Obama for saving his life," said Bergdahl's new attorney Eugene Fidell. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Fidell said the former prisoner of war had authorized him to make that statement on his behalf.

Fidell met with Bergdahl at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where Bergdahl returned to active duty earlier in the week. Bergdahl was given a desk job after six weeks of transitional counseling and debriefing. He is preparing to meet with investigators to answer questions about his 2009 disappearance and capture by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Fidell, a well-known lawyer and military justice expert, told The Associated Press that Bergdahl has been "vilified," and urged the public not to jump to any conclusions before the investigation had finished.

"There are people who attempted to turn him into a kind of piñata," Fidell told The AP. "On the other hand, there are people of good will who have communicated with me their sympathy for the experience Sgt. Bergdahl has had to undergo, the ordeal really."

The exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners in U.S. custody has been controversial in part because several members of the Bergdahl's former unit have called him a deserter. They say he walked away voluntarily.

Fidell said he expects the investigation to be over in several weeks.

"Let's all be a little patient. We'll know more in due course," said Fidell. "I hope that the matter can be resolved sooner rather than later so that Sgt. Bergdahl can become plain old Bowe Bergdahl and return to private life and get on with his life."

Bob Bergdahl speaks to the media during a press conference at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday, June 1, 2014.Otto Kitsinger | The Associated Press

The lawyer declined to comment on Bergdahl's relationship with his family. The soldier has not spoken with his parents since he was release from captivity in May, according to The Wall Street Journal.

An Army official told WSJ that Bergdahl has refused to see his parents or speak to them by phone, but could not specify why there was tension between the former POW and his family.

Bergdahl's father, Robert Bergdahl, fought for his son's release during the five years Bowe Bergdahl was held captive. Both of Bowe Bergdahl's parents were invited to appear at the White House with President Obama after the prisoner exchange was made.

According to WSJ, Bergdahl's parents have put restrictions on what information can be shared about his condition. They have also told the military not to discuss any communication, or lack there of, between the former POW and his family.